I decided on Jan Zumbach's 303 Polish Squadron machine from May of 1942. Zumbach was a Polish pilot fighting with the RAF and has the distinction of being the first allied flier to damage the new FW 190 in combat. He finished the war with 12 kills, to include 8 during the Battle of Britain.
The Hasegawa kit certainly shows it's age (late 80's or early 90's I believe), that being quite basic in overall detail. The cockpit is also very basic compared to the others and you would have to cut out the pilot door to display it open. I had no construction issues, but I did attach the upper wings to the wing roots first to avoid gap issues notorious with old Hasegawa kits. I noted that the panel lines are quite petite as well and I was worried they wouldn't take a wash. I made the best of it by adding PE seatbelts and a set of resin 20 mm cannons I had in the stash. I used a mix of Tamiya paints for the scheme and the markings were painted on using spare Montex masks. The decals for Zumbach's machine were let over from Tamiya's Mk. V kit I built several years ago. They surprisingly performed great.
Overall, I was happy with the finished product. Surprise, it looks like a Spitfire. That said, it's doesn't quite compare to the newer ones. This one would need about 5 hours with a riveting tool, and a resin pit to even get close. It would just be easier to by the Eduard Mk.V kit. We certainly are spoiled now......
So of course Eduard's Mk. VIII is next. Bobby Gibbe's Grey Nurse.
I was going for beat up and dirty with this one as evidenced by this photo. It would seem Zumbach made good use out of this machine. (note the heavy chipping). I think I got it close.
